Robaina's

Friday, 26 December 2014

This is the last of the 3 Edicion Limitadas of 2014 that I try and I have to say that in my opinion this has been one of the best years, if not the best year, of EL releases. One better than the other and this Bolivar is no exception. I expected to find this cigar and the other 2 while I was in Havana this past November but none of them were available. What I have discovered since coming back is that you can find them pretty much everywhere else on the planet, here in Canada as well. Of course that's not in Cuban prices.
This cigar weighs in at 48 x 140 (5.5"), that would make it a Grand Corona. It was released within the last couple of months (depending on where you live) in boxes of 25 cigars. I don't know how many were produced.
This cigar has a dark wrapper and is kinda bumpy all over, the cap included. It was hard to the touch with a couple of soft spots. The prelight draw gave me light cedar, the draw was excellent even after lighting. Once lit, big wood and earth with chocolate undertones. Off the hop I have to say this seems like it's going to be a wonderful smoke. The burn is a bit off as I'm reaching the first inch and it's turning out to be a medium to strong bodied smoke.
Nearing the half I flick the ash so it doesn't drop on my friends floor only to have it drop on it's own anyway a half an inch later (that was odd). This cigar, so far, has been a great smoke, very Bolivar-like flavours. Most of the Regionals and ELs Cigar Brands that are used for these cigars don't follow their usual signature ligas. The burn had straightened itself out before reaching the half but now past the half it's off again so I touched it up this time. It's pretty much maintained this flavour profile all the way through with hints of toasted coffee bean and dark chocolate creeping in now and then. It gets a little bitter and stronger during the last quarter and at one point I flick the ash because I can see it's burning hotter through the middle. It had gone out by then so I had to do a relight. I was still able to smoke it until I couldn't hold on to it any longer. That last piece surprised me...I thought after that relight it was going to be bitter but the flavour remained the same. That's incredible for such a young cigar.
In conclusion, I have to get me some and I would recommend the same for you. Although they claim the leaf in this cigar has been aged 2 years (which allows it to be remotely approachable), it still needs some time to age. This is going to be an exceptional smoke a couple of years down the road. Of course, this is only my opinion.....

Tuesday, 9 December 2014

It was a total fluke how I found this restaurant. As I was leaving the Partagas Shop in Old Havana I was mentioning how I had to go out to dinner and the Artist who did the decorating at the restaurant (I didn't know it at the time) recommended I give this place a try. He mentioned how cheap it was and I remember wondering why?? but once he showed me pictures of the place he had saved on his cell I was convinced to check it out.
It's in the Vedado district of Havana, behind the Hotel Presidente, located on the second floor of a house. There are two restaurants actually, one named Razones and the other Motivos (Reasons and Motives). Motivos is on the patio, open air but covered, with the menu being lighter fare. They allow smoking here. Razones, the other restaurant is located in a closed, air-conditioned space with a larger menu that doesn't allow smoking. Makes sure you reserve and in the spot you want because it can get quite busy. It hadn't been open year yet and the restaurant was full when we got there. The service is very pleasant, waitresses wearing a Diner-type outfit that are always smiling. My girlfriend wanted Filet Mignon that was on the other restaurant's menu....no problem, she got it.
We started with the Ribs (appetizer portion, they also have it as a maincourse for double the appetizer price, I assume it's double in size), we seem to get them whenever we go to a place that has them and they were good here. As I said, my girlfriend had the Filet Mignon from the other menu and I have to say it's the best I've had in the 11 years I've been coming to Cuba. She asked for it to be cooked medium but came medium rare, she ate it anyway because it was so tender. Let's hope they keep-up this quality. I went for the Filet of Fish in herbs which I enjoyed. Presentation was good, service excellent and the food tasted wonderful. We finished it off with a homemade cheesecake that was rather tasty and some ice cream.
Everything above as well as a bottle of water and a bottle of wine, came out to $40.65cuc and that included 10% gratuity on the bill. That's really cheap for a meal of this quality. I'm sure this place is going to be packed more often once people discover it. Call for reservations.